City of St. Catharines is now the largest Ontario municipality to offer a living wage

The City of St. Catharines now officially the largestOntario municipality to offer a living wage.

As part of the certification, the city has pledged a living wage to all employees and to meet champion level requirements by Dec. 2024.

The Niagara Poverty Reduction Network has certified close to 80 employers that provide a living wage to employees, Kleinsmith said.

"This marks our largest employer in terms of sheer number of people who work for the city of St. Catharines," Kleinsmith said.

Living wage is the hourly rate a worker needs to earn, to cover not just their basic expenses, but have a little extra to participate in the community.

According to data from the Ontario Living Wage Network released in Nov. 2021, a living wage for the Niagara Region is estimated at $18.90 per hour.

The city is one of 23 living wage calculations the network updated and released in November.

Hamilton is estimated at $17.20 andToronto, at the highest, is $22.08 an hour.

"This is really important because there are many people who are working full time making minimum wage or low wage and are still living in poverty," Anne Coleman, program manager for the Ontario Living Wage Network said to council on Monday.

"This really shows a lot of care for the community and respect for people who are working within your community."

Coleman said that this also sets a great example for other employers within the city, the Niagara region, other municipalities in Ontario and across the country.

In February 2021, St. Catharines council voted unanimously to apply to become a living wage employer through the Ontario Living Wage Network.